Bryton James Wished He Had Been Closer With Kristoff St. John Outside of ‘The Young and the Restless’
On a recent podcast episode with General Hospital‘s Maurice Benard, The Young and the Restless star Bryton James shared how he wished he had formed a tighter relationship with his on-screen father, Kristoff St. John, before the actor died in 2019. A Y&R legend, St. John experienced bipolar disorder and alcoholism in his final days. Here’s what James said about St. John and what it was like watching his co-star live with an addiction.
Kristoff St. John tragically died at 52
Kristoff St. John was a devoted father, both on and off-screen. The actor played Neil Winters on The Young and the Restless from 1991 until his death in 2019. On Y&R, St. John’s character had three children: Lily Winters (Christel Khalil), Devon Hamilton (Bryton James), and Moses Winters (Jacob Aaron Gaines).
In his personal life, St. John also had three kids, including two children with his first wife, boxer Mia St. John — son Julian (born in 1989) and daughter Paris (born in 1992). He also had a daughter, Lola (born in 2003), with his second wife, Allana Nadal.
Sadly, St. John’s son Julian died by suicide in 2014 at 24 years old. Julian was diagnosed with schizophrenia and took his life in a mental health facility. His death was extremely difficult for St. John, and the actor began drinking heavily.
Around five years after his son’s death, St. John died in February 2019 at 52. The celebrity’s death was ruled accidental, with the cause listed as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a disease where the heart muscle thickens. It’s believed St. John’s excessive alcohol use exacerbated his condition.
‘Y&R’ co-star Bryton James wishes he would have reached out to Kristoff St. John
Bryton James recently sat down with fellow soap actor Maurice Benard for an episode of Benard’s podcast, State of Mind. Benard has portrayed Sonny Corinthos on General Hospital for the past three decades. James and Benard discussed various topics, including how James wished he would have known how badly his on-screen dad was hurting following his son’s death.
St. John’s ex-wife Mia believed their son’s suicide ultimately led to St. John’s death. During an appearance on The Doctors, Mia said, “We were both depressed and feeling suicidal from time to time, but his was so much deeper because there was so much guilt involved.” She added, “Kristoff didn’t really understand mental illness,” which made him feel solely responsible for Julian’s death and made him believe he could have done more to save his son.
James was only 17 when he met St. John on the set of Y&R. James told Benard, “For me, Kristoff was just … there was nothing negative about him. There was nothing negative about his mood. He was the most positive light and ball of energy at work.”
James added he didn’t know Kristoff “battled so many demons” and regretted not being a better support system for his on-screen dad.
Devon and Neil had a messy father-son relationship on ‘Y&R’
While James holds a great deal of love and respect for St. John, their characters’ father-son dynamic was tumultuous on The Young and the Restless.
Neil and his wife Drucilla adopted Devon when he was a teen. Drucilla later died, and Neil married Hilary Curtis. In a plot twist, Hilary and Devon began a secret affair. The betrayal deeply affected Neil and Devon’s relationship. Fortunately, they made amends before Neil died a few years later.
After St.John died, Y&R producers wrote Neil’s death into the storyline to honor the actor’s portrayal of the character. On-screen, Neil died in his sleep after having a massive stroke while he slept.
How to get help: In the U.S., contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration helpline at 1-800-662-4357.
How to get help: In the U.S., call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or 1-800-273-8255. Or text HOME to 741-741 to speak with a trained crisis counselor at the free Crisis Text Line.
